against the Sounders. The missing fervor of the fans translated to the players, something Spencer had feared.

"We said that...(Saturday's game) was going to be a big test of character. Because the guys had seen and felt that passion (Friday night) from both sets of fans," Spencer said. "Then they stepped out there (Saturday) and you could just feel the level of intensity had dropped down. I could see it was a little bit hard for us to be up for the game."

What the Timbers (2-0-5) have learned is something Spencer has been preaching all season. There 15 other teams not named Seattle or Vancouver and the Timbers have to make sure they summon the appropriate level of intensity and focus for each game.

"You have to create your own atmosphere, no matter if it's Seattle, Vancouver or any other team in the league," Pore said. "The atmosphere wasn't what it was (Friday) night, but as players we have to create our own atmosphere. I think we were able to do that for the first 10 minutes, and then we took our foot off the (gas) pedal after that."

What transpired was a lackluster performance by the Timbers, in which Spencer started a completely different group of players compared to Friday's game. The Timbers allowed Vancouver to dictate the tempo of Saturday's game by not moving the ball quickly.

Portland's energy was high to start the game and resulted in Pore's score during the fifth minute of the game.

shot from inside the box bounced off the near post and Vancouver goalkeeper Jay Nolly couldn't corral the deflection. As the ball was rolling to Nolly's right an onrushing Pore easily kicked the ball into the back of the net in the fifth minute.

"Brian Umony was able to get into the box, made a nice turn and hit a near-post shot," Pore said. "Nolly was able to handle it and it came off the post. It was just me and luckily, I was able to tap it in."

The goal put the Timbers ahead, but they relaxed and couldn't sustain much momentum after that high point. And the Whitecaps started to assert themselves in the game.

"(We) scored a goal and I felt that we just kind of thought that we were just going to roll over them and take two or three goals from them," Spencer said. "It's not that simple."

Adding to Spencer's frustration was the Timbers' careless and lax defense on a number of possessions.

"I thought at times, we were very sloppy," Spencer said. "I thought there were times when (Vancouver) was getting at us. We were putting ourselves under pressure because we weren't moving the ball quick enough."

Players were holding onto the ball way too long, and some attempts to clear balls were blocked and the Whitecaps started going the other way.

"If we play with one or two (touches) like the coach said, we could win the game," midfielder

The Timbers were fortunate that the unlucky Whitecaps didn't find an equalizer through most of the first half. But the Whitecaps' pressure paid off when a shot by midfielder Blake Wagner was blocked by goalkeeper Adin Brown, but Portland defender David Horst inadvertently kicked the ball into the goal for an own goal in the 36th minute.

"(The ball) hit me as I was running backwards and it deflected back into the goal," Horst said. "It happened so fast. I saw the ball hit (me) and I knew right away there was nothing I could do. I said, 'You've got to be kidding me.' "

While the defense has looked very inconsistent in the past two games, they did allow just one goal in the two games and have allowed a total of three goals during the preseason.

Even though the Timbers clearly experienced a mental letdown after the Seattle game, Spencer was happy the team emerged with a draw against the Whitecaps and a win against the Sounders.

"If you had asked me the question would I be happy with these two results before we came up here _ one goal out of the two games and four points (out of) six _ I'd probably take that," Spencer said.

and Pore) have scored the Timbers' six goals during the preseason. ...The Whitecaps' goal snapped the Timbers streak of four consecutive shutouts. ... The Timbers will play at San Jose Earthquakes in their next preseason game. ...Timbers starting lineup was Brown at goalkeeper. Freddie Braun (right back) and Chris Taylor (left back) at the wings defensively, with Futty Danso and Horst as central defenders. Pore (left) and Kalif Alhassan (right) as outside midfielders, with Adam Moffat and James Marcelin inside. Eddie Johnson and Umony at forward. ...Timbers wore green their green training jerseys with white shorts.